New Apple iMacs go on sale Friday

CUPERTINO, Calif. – Apple says the smaller version its new, slimmed-down iMac desktop computers will go on sale Friday. It will also start taking orders for the larger model, but the units won't ship until next month.

The model with the 21.5-inch screen will cost $1,299 and up, depending on the configuration. The model with a 27-inch screen will start at $1,799.

“With a stunning design, brilliant display and faster performance, we’ve made the world’s leading all-in-one desktop computer better in every way,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, when the new computers were first unveiled in October. “The all-new iMac is unbelievably thin, yet packs an incredible amount of performance and technology into our most innovative desktop.”

The iMac tacks the computer components to the back of a large LCD screen. The new models have no disk drive, helping make the edges one-fifth the thickness of the old model. They bulge considerably toward the middle of the back, however.